AI Overview

The Gemara discusses the legal and ethical ramifications of finding money in a wall primarily in Masechet Bava Metzia 25a-26a, which deals with the laws of returning lost objects (hashavat aveida). The rules depend on the context of the wall and the nature of the find.

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Key Talmudic Rules for Money in a Wall

Old vs. New Walls: If a person finds money in a ruined wall or an old wall, it belongs to them because it is assumed to have been left there for a very long time, and the original owner has likely despaired (mityaesh) of finding it.

Wall of a House: If found in the wall of a house, it depends on its location. If it is closer to the outside (closer to the public domain), it belongs to the finder. If it is closer to the inside, it belongs to the homeowner.

Signs of Age: A critical factor is whether the money appears to have been there for a long time (e.g., it is very rusty or deteriorated). If so, it is assumed to belong to the finder.

"Rummager" Rule: If the item is in a place where people frequently dig or search (like a broken wall), the finder can keep it.

Handle/Identifier: If the item found has a handle (like a knife) or a unique identifier, and it points inward, it belongs to the homeowner; if it points outward, it belongs to the finder.

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Specific Scenarios in Gemara

Hidden Treasures in Walls: The Gemara notes that in times of war or instability, people hid their wealth in walls, expecting to return to them. Later, these are treated as ownerless, provided they appear ancient.

Dividing the Find: The Steinsaltz Talmud notes a case where if a hole in a wall is filled with money, and it's unclear if it all came from one side, the finder and the homeowner divide the money.

Rented Homes: If a house has been rented to several different people, the finder may have to return the object to the most recent renter, as they may have recently lost it.

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Note: These discussions are found in the section of the Talmud focused on property law, specifically Masechet Bava Metzia, which examines when a finder is entitled to keep found property.

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(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49880579)

but what kinda fag would tell anyone

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49881484)

10 years on, it's yours. Especially if it's money (which is fungible, unlike the jewelry, which might be heirlooms with sentimental value) or if there have been multiple previous owners.

If there was only one preivous owner or there is something clearly linking it to a particular previous owner, the "right" thing to do may be to notify them and try to return what you found, even though it's yours legally and you have an OK-ish moral claim to it.

Better question: What if you find it just 2 days after moving in? What if the previous owner comes back 2 days after vacating and says, vaguely, that he forgot something and wants to nip down to the basement for a minute to grab it?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49881609)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49884117)

it's fine to play a pickup basketball game at the gym or park or whatever, but joining some league wtf grow up

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49882286)

Tim Newcomb

Tue, May 12, 2026 at 8:10 AM PDT

Kitchen Renovation Yields 17th Century Coin Hoardsb-borg - Getty Images

In a remarkable discovery, a couple accidentally unearthed a treasure trove of 17th-century coins while renovating their farm in West Dorset, England.

The find, which occurred five years ago, came as the couple dug deeper to increase the head height in their long-house cottage at South Poorton Farm. Robert Fooks struck a glazed pottery bowl with his pickaxe, revealing about 100 coins dating back to the first English Civil War.

The “Poorton Coin Hoard,” as it became known, included gold coins from James I and Charles I, as well as silver half crowns, shillings, and sixpences from the time of Elizabeth I, Phillip, and Mary. The collection sold for approximately $75,000 at Duke’s Auction House.

“One evening,” Betty Fooks toldThe Guardian, “I was with the children and my husband was digging with a pickaxe when he called to say they’ve found something. He put all the coins in a bucket.”

The couple reported their find and sent the coins to the British Museum for cleaning and identification. Experts there told the Fooks that the coins were likely all hidden away at one time, sometime between 1642 and 1644, amidst the turmoil of the English Civil War.

Back then, when people hid coins, they weren’t just doing it to be cautious—they were often trying to survive. Both Parliamentarian and Royalist troops entered people’s homes to demand food and sometimes even steal valuables. So, ordinary families learned how to create secret caches in places like walls and pots to retrieve their items once the fighting stopped. But many of the people who hid their possessions never returned to find them.

“If you were a royalist or suspected royalist, you could have your estates sequestrated (seized) by the Parliamentary side and vice versa,” Waseem Ahmed, a doctoral student of history at University College London with expertise in 17th-century British political history, told Live Science.

At the time, Dorset was a strategic location for troop movements during the war, which culminated in victory for the Parliamentarian alliance and the capture—and eventual execution—of King Charles I. That’s where rich families like the Sydenhams and the Strangways shifted allegiances depending on which side held power.

In Lyme Regis, meanwhile, a Parliamentarian garrison famously withstood an 8-week siege in 1644, supplied by daring smugglers who ferried food and gunpowder through naval blockades.

And in rural areas like Poorton, villagers likely lived in constant fear that soldiers could arrive at any time. The hoard the Fooks discovered could have belonged to such a family.

The war left behind remnants of its chaos buried for over 400 years. “If we hadn’t lowered the floor, they would still be hidden there,” Betty Fooks told The Guardian. “I presume the person intended to retrieve them but never got the chance.”

Now, the Poorton Coin Hoard is adding another piece to the historical puzzle of a nation once gripped by civil war.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5865940&forum_id=2...id#49883853)